Sunday 4 March 2012 18.00 EST
First published on Sunday 4 March 2012 18.00 EST

Not content with producing one Kodak moment to win the game, Robin van Persie re-emerged from the players' tunnel almost an hour later to take photographs of an empty and eerily silent Anfield. Arsenal can only pray their brilliant Dutchman wanted simply to record the day of his first goals against Liverpool and not historic English stadiums he may soon leave behind.

It reflected Van Persie's stature in a season of 31 goals that he should have a major influence on the Champions League aspirations of two clubs on Saturday – pushing Arsenal closer to a 15th consecutive campaign among the European elite and Liverpool away from their main target for a third year. All around him, the task of persuading the striker to extend a contract with 15 months remaining continued.

Alex Song played his part with the pass that enabled his captain to beat José Reina inside the near post with a glorious 92nd-minute volley, reprising their match-winning combination against Everton in the process. Arsène Wenger worked on the emotions with a tribute to Van Persie's "exceptional development as a player and as a human being". It will be a concerted effort that convinces the 28-year-old he can win the highest honours in an Arsenal shirt that will determine his future, however, and slowly, sometimes falteringly, Wenger's team are displaying the strength of character required.

Arsenal have transformed their Premier League campaign between losing to Liverpool at the Emirates in August and inflicting the first home defeat on Kenny Dalglish's team this season. If only they could condense that recovery into 90 minutes against Milan on Tuesday.

"We want to make the impossible possible. That is basically our target," said Wenger, whose team trail 4-0 from the first leg. "When we played Liverpool at the start of the season it was a bit of a shambles. We were in a bit of disarray because we had a full transfer period and we were unstable. We have since come back into a much better position and are much more solid. At the time we last played Liverpool we were 17th in the league so we had, first of all, room for improvement and I think we have improved a lot."

In Van Persie and the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, Arsenal had the two best players on the pitch. But not the better team. Liverpool dominated the first half in particular, exploiting the Arsenal midfield's failure to protect their defence with quick, direct passing to create chances almost at will. Once again they could not score, not even from a penalty for the sixth time this season – eight if you include the Carling Cup final shootout – when Szczesny tripped Luis Suárez and saved the spot-kick and rebound from Dirk Kuyt. "The manager said I move my feet too early at penalties and I end up losing a few inches by moving my feet earlier," revealed the 21-year-old keeper. "So I said I am not going to move my feet and go as late as I can and it worked. He will try and get all the credit for that."

Dalglish labelled the Liverpool performance "outstanding" and said only a "wee bit of luck" was missing as they hit the woodwork twice more. It was a familiar and inaccurate lament. A performance cannot be lauded when it repeatedly lacks the most important aspect. Kuyt apart, Liverpool had no one with conviction inside the Arsenal penalty area. On television afterwards Jamie Redknapp was among many of a Liverpool persuasion to ponder what Dalglish's team could achieve with Van Persie in attack. "But those kind of players cost £40m," said Redknapp, overlooking the fact Liverpool spent £57.8m on two forwards 14 months ago. Suárez and Andy Carroll have a combined total of nine league goals this season.

Liverpool had Laurent Koscielny to thank for their goal when the Arsenal defender sliced Jordan Henderson's cross inside his own post, before Van Persie escaped Jamie Carragher too easily to headthe equaliser from Bacary Sagna's cross. His wonderful winner was only the third time in nine years that Liverpool have lost a league game at home having scored first. Every time to Arsenal.

"This club deserves to be in the Champions League. It is the least you can ask for. It is important for Robin but we all want to get there," added Szczesny, who empathised with Reina's inability to deal with Van Persie's excellence. "We get bullied in training. I am not going to lie. It is quite embarrassing sometimes playing against him in training. As a goalkeeper sometimes there is just nothing that you can do. It is quite embarrassing but I think he has improved me as a goalkeeper."